מְדוֹר (me.dor)
me.dor
dwelling
A:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:N-M
Word Overview
The Aramaic noun medor means a dwelling place or residence. It appears only twice in the Hebrew Bible, both times in the book of Daniel, where it describes the physical location where people live or stay.
This word is derived from the root gar, which relates to sojourning or temporary residence. While the Hebrew equivalent magur often carries a sense of transient lodging, medor in Daniel’s court focuses on the concrete reality of a house or abode. In Daniel 2:11, it highlights the impossibility of human kings demanding what only a divine power could provide from such a dwelling place.
Its rarity makes each occurrence significant. The text uses it to ground abstract theological claims in tangible human experience, reminding readers that even the most powerful earthly rulers reside in ordinary homes subject to divine authority.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word medor simply means a dwelling place or home. In Daniel’s story, this ordinary concept carries heavy weight. It reminds us that every person, regardless of status, needs a place to rest and live. Even the most powerful kings on earth rely on physical shelter, just like everyone else.
When Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind, he did not lose his need for a home; it simply changed from a palace to the wild. His dwelling became the open fields with wild donkeys. This shift shows how quickly human comfort can vanish when we forget who holds true authority over our lives.
Yet this word also points to hope. The text contrasts earthly homes with the divine realm. While humans dwell in flesh and stone, God’s presence is not limited by such boundaries. We can trust that our temporary shelters are held securely by a power far greater than any king or empire.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- dwelling place/ their1×
- dwelling place/ his1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מְדוֹרֵ֔/הּ1×
- מְדָ֣רְ/ה֔וֹן1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 2:11
It is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is no other who can show it before the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
This verse highlights the limitation of human kings by noting that the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh cannot be summoned like a local resident to solve earthly problems.
-
Daniel 5:21
He was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the animals’, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the sky, until he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that he sets up over it whomever he will.
Here the word describes Nebuchadnezzar’s fallen state, showing how his royal palace was replaced by a wild dwelling among donkeys as a sign of his humbling before God.